A Sticky Situation
by Miss H 2009
Summary: The Find-outers & the Famous Five, now in their late teens, join forces to solve a joint case involving someone from their past. While working together, romance, & danger, blossoms.
1. Chapter 1

Chief-Inspector Jenks put down the newspaper he had been absorbed in for the past 10 minutes, & sighed heavily. He didn't like the article he had just read; no, he didn't like the sound of the escaped youth at all. After another second's hesitation, shaking his head, he picked up the telephone & dialed a Peterswood number, & asked for Master Frederick Trotteville. He had to admit that this was the sort of thing that Frederick, & the rest of the Find-Outers & Buster, was best at, although he also knew that, as incorrigible as Fatty was, he would take the policeman's call as permission to do whatever he had to in order to solve the case, & would probably get into very real danger.

Miles away, a tall, blonde, twenty year old was frowning as he read the same article that Chief-Inspector Jenks had just put down. He finished the article, & gave a low whistle. Just then his brother & his cousin bounded in, laughing.

"Hey Ju", cried Dick excitedly, "guess what? We bumped into Jo in the town. She's going to stay for a couple of weeks with her uncle at the fair in Peterswood. She asked why don't we come along as well, not to stay at the fair, of course, but somewhere in the vicinity".

"Oh yes", cried Anne who had just walked in from the kitchen where she was helping the cook, Joan. "That's a marvelous idea. We can visit Fatty, & Buster, &the rest of them. It's been at least 2 years since we've seen them".

"Shut up you two", said George, her blue eyes fixed on Julian's thoughtful, serious expression. "What's up, Ju? Why do you look like that?"

Julian looked at them & forced himself to smile for the sake of Anne who he still thought of as his baby sister even though she was now sixteen. "It's nothing much", he said. "I've just been reading today's paper & there's an interesting article about a youth who escaped from a Home yesterday. The other boys at the Home say he's a bit disturbed, & over the years has become increasingly obsessed with getting revenge on the kids who helped put him in there & his parents in jail. So the police have issued a warning that he's dangerous".

"Who is it?", asked Dick, shrewdly realizing that this had to be connected to them in some way.

"Edgar Stick", replied Julian quietly.

Twenty year old Larry, & nineteen year old Pip ducked into the little shed at the bottom of Fatty's garden. They took one look at Fatty's grinning, shining face & both smiled, knowing that something big must be up to get Fatty excited enough to want to meet in this old meeting place. Daisy entered the shed next, wrinkling her nose at the slightly musty smell. She also glanced at Fatty & smiled. Before she could say anything though, they heard the sound of a motorcycle revving it's engine on the road. All three boys frowned, while Daisy, noting their frowns, smiled again. "Bets is here", she said unnecessarily, as sixteen year old Bets squeezed in. Taking in Bets appearance, the scowls on all three boys' faces deepened, but for different reasons.

Pip still thought of Bets as his baby sister, & baby sisters should be kept in line & not go riding on a friend's dangerous motorcycle, & definitely should not be wearing shorts that were that short, & a top that tight. He made up his mind to ask Daisy to talk to Bets about her dressing, like a big sister would.

Larry had spent most of his life thinking & treating Bets like a little sister, so to now find himself admiring those long legs & sexy curves, like he would any other girl, was very discomforting for him, to say the least.

Fatty fondly remembered when Bets was a little girl who hero-worshipped him. She would have been the first person to arrive for a meeting then, & Fatty could do no wrong in her eyes. He guiltily & secretly admired Bets' appearance & her spunky personality, but on a level he wouldn't acknowledge, he realized that with this smart, sexy young lady, he needed to earn her hero-worship now.

Bets, oblivious to the frowns around her, grinned around. "Hi! Ern gave me a lift but he's rushing off somewhere so he couldn't come in. Why are we meeting here? Is this a Find-Outer meeting?" She said all this without pausing for air, & while settling herself on an upturned box.

Fatty dragged his thoughts away from Bets' low-cut top & back to the Chief-Inspector's call.

"Ok, I received a call this morning from our old friend, Chief-Inspector Jenks", he began. Ignoring the ooohs & aaahs from his friends, he continued. "He wants us to keep an eye out for that youth that escaped from the Home yesterday. Apparently he has distant relations in Peterswood, & spent some time here as a kid when his parents were away, so he might be headed this way. He's apparently very disturbed, is obsessed with getting revenge on the group of kids that helped put his parents into prison, & is likely to be armed & dangerous. His family from Peterswood is none other than our . . . er . . . good friend, Mr Goon. Apparently spending some time in his childhood with a great policeman like Goon did nothing to benefit him. Oh, & the group of kids that helped put him & his parents away are our really good friends, Julian, Dick, Anne, George, & Timmy of course".

This long but concise explanation was met with shocked silence at first. Then everyone starting speaking at once.

"Does Julian & company know about this?"

"What did his parents do?"

"Does Mr Goon know? Should we warn him?"

"Is this guy related to Ern as well? Is he in danger too?" This from Bets who had developed a very close friendship with Ern Goon. He was always nice to her, even as children.

Fatty's eyes narrowed as he regarded Bets, a suspicion starting to form in his mind. Then he shook his head & shouted for calm before his mother came in to see what they were doing.

"I tried calling Julian but his cellphone is off, & I didn't want to leave a message about this with George's mother when I tried Kirrin Cottage, said Fatty, trying to answer all their questions. "I'll try again later. Mr & Mrs Stick were a really bad sort & were involved in everything from petty stealing to kidnapping. The Chief-Inspector said he had called Goon & informed him but thinks that Goon doesn't really believe this kid could be dangerous." Fatty paused & glanced at Bets. "I don't think Ern is related to this guy & shouldn't be in any danger but we should let him know just in case." Bets nodded, already pulling out her cellphone to text Ern.

"So what should we do, Fatty?", asked Larry.

Fatty thought for a minute before answering. "I think we should take turns to watch Goon's house to see if this boy turns up. While some of us are watching the house, the others should be wandering around the fair down at the river. There will be so many people there that it would be easy for this youth to blend in there without drawing attention to himself." He stopped & picked up a sheaf of papers that he had left on a shelf, & starting handing the copies out. "These are copies of this kid's picture, and a few notes on him that the Chief-Inspector emailed through this morning."

"Are we going to watch Goon's house at night as well?", asked Pip. "The fair closes at 10pm so we can hang around there until that time. But do we have to spend the whole night in front of Goon's house?"

"I think we should. If someone wanted to arrive unnoticed, they would do it at night, right?", replied Fatty. I think the girls should do Fair duty & us three boys rotate Goon's House watch as the girls can't really do night duty."

"Excuse me?", demanded Bets, "Why can't we do night duty? Although you guys refuse to notice, I am not 8 years old anymore. Daisy & I are perfectly capable of staying up at night, thank you. In fact, we are probably more suitable than you guys are, as our kickboxing training makes us lethal weapons who can defend ourselves, while you guys will probably have to just call for help if anything dangerous happens!"

"Hear! Hear!", cheered Daisy, laughing at the thunderstruck looks on the boys' faces.

Before the boys could respond though, they heard the cook calling Fatty.

"Yes Jane", shouted Fatty, hurriedly squeezing out of the shed.

"Oh, there's a call for you, sir, said Jane breathlessly, "a Julian Barnard".

Fatty rushed inside at once & snatched up the receiver. "Julian?", he almost shouted into the phone.

"Hi Fatty!", replied Julian. "I can't talk long. My cellphone battery is dying. Just wanted to let you guys know that we're coming over there today on the 07:00 train. Can you meet us?"

Before Fatty could respond, the line went dead. Julian's dying battery had obviously just died. Fatty went back to the others & repeated the conversation.

"I don't think Julian knows that Edgar Stick may be headed here. That bit of information wasn't in the paper this morning", concluded Fatty, thoughtfully. "So who's coming with me to meet the train at 7:00?" All of them immediately emphatically confirmed they would be there.

"We can go for supper at the new restaurant right opposite the train station", said Daisy.

"Good idea", said Fatty. "We can catch up on the last two years, & on the Stick situation."

It was about 7:30 when they seated themselves at the new restaurant opposite the train station. They had met their five friends with much screams, hugs, exclamations, handshakes, laughter, & barking. Supper continued to be a raucous, hilarious event where everyone related school or college stories, & exchanged news about the last two years.

There was a serious period near the beginning of the meal when Fatty shared the news about Stick possibly heading to Peterswood. He was right, Julian didn't know about that, or he definitely wouldn't have come here. As it was, he considered leaving the next day, but then George, in her forthright way, declared that she was not running from Edgar Stick & she would stay & help the Find-Outers catch him. She was surprisingly backed up by Anne, who had an inkling that Julian wanted to leave because he wanted to protect her. As much as she still adored both her brothers, she did get a bit frustrated with them still molly-coddling her & treating her like she was still the quiet, timid 10 year old little girl that she used to be.

Larry asked about the Five's experience with the Sticks, & was answered by George's humourous narrative about Ma & Pa Stick, Stinker, Julian stealing food from the larder, imaginary cows & horses in a dungeon, & shutting Edgar up in the dungeon. Dick also remembered to tell the Find-Outers that their friend Jo, whom the Find-Outers had met a few years back, was on holiday with her uncle at the Fair. She would help with keeping an eye out at the Fair. All the find-outers smiled, pleased. They remembered Jo to be cheeky & funny, but intelligent & loyal, & most useful in a sticky situation.

They were almost done with supper when Pip asked Fatty if they were going on watch duty that night.

"I suggest we skip tonight", said Julian before Fatty could answer. "The Home is pretty far away. I doubt Edgar could have gotten here so quickly. And we're all tired & too full to really do anything useful now anyway."

"I agree", said Fatty. "Lets meet at the coffee shop opposite the dairy tomorrow morning at about 10:00, & decide on our way forward".

They all agreed to his suggestion & then went home. Larry & Fatty gave the visitors a lift to the guesthouse they were staying at, while Pip took Daisy & Bets home.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day nine good looking young adults, & two dogs, met at the coffee shop. Each of them had taken extra care over their appearance that morning, the guys carefully shaving & actually applying light cologne, & the girls spending time over a light application of make-up & perfume, & ensuring their clothes accentuated the right curves & showed enough skin to be sexy, but not slutty. Each of them had noticed the maturity & changes in their friends in the last two years, & each of them had a favourite that they were hoping to impress.

George had made Anne choke over her morning tea, when she asked her, in a whisper, to please do her make-up as she, George, usually messed it up so much that she just did without. Anne grinningly obliged. She didn't tease her cousin, or say "I told you so" . . . yet. She had always told George that when she met a guy she fancied, she would take an interest in looking 'girly', instead of her usual tomboyish appearance, & she had long suspected that George had a crush on Fatty. George was better in most things, like most sports, climbing, swimming, handling any vehicle, & even boxing than most of the boys she knew, so Anne knew it would take a very different, special guy to get George's attention, & Fatty, with his amazing mind, his cocksure attitude, his ability to also be best in almost everything he tried, & his wicked sense of humour, fit the profile perfectly. And the fact that he had now chiseled all the fat which had earned him his nickname, into hard, tanned muscle, definitely helped. Anne smiled to herself, thinking that it would be most interesting to see the daring, tomboyish George compete for Fatty's attention with the beautiful, sweet Bets.

Anne herself had always admired Pip. He was always so organized & proper, & had such beautiful manners. Anne was just concerned that Pip still viewed her like he would his little sister. She surveyed her reflection, critically taking in the slightly shorter & tighter than normal dress she had chosen to wear. She would just have to make Pip see that she was not his little baby sister.

A few roads away, Daisy was also critically examining her appearance. She normally wore dresses. What was she thinking of to borrow Bets' shorts? She blushed as she remembered Bets delighted smile when she had dropped off the shorts, & her teasing hint about a certain tall, muscular, blue-eyed blonde.

Bets also dressed carefully, ensuring, as usual, that she shattered the sweet, innocent, baby sister image that she had been saddled with. During supper last night, she had realized that she now had competition. She was unsure how to compete with someone so different from her but she liked him too much & for too long to give up now.

At the coffee shop, the Find-Outers greeted Jo, whom Dick had collected from the Fair, like the old friend she was. They had just sat down when they heard a familiar roar of a motorcycle engine. A minute later, Ern joined them. Fatty noticed Bets had shifted so Ern could sit next to her & the suspicion that was born the day before strengthened a bit more.

"Julian, Dick & Anne are hiding their astonishment over the change in Ern very well", Fatty thought to himself. Ern had developed into a brawny, young man with an easygoing demeanour which replaced his previous awkwardness.

George, being George, was the only one with raised eyebrows & an open mouth. Fatty caught her eye & grinned. She closed her mouth, smiled back, & _blushed_. Fatty was astounded. He had never seen George do anything as girlish as blush before. She was the bravest, spunkiest, cheekiest girl he knew. Indeed, there were many things that she could do better than him, although he probably wouldn't admit it. But she was just not girlish. He had always thought that was a pity as, with her dark curls, brilliant blue eyes, & athletic build, she would be gorgeous if she wanted. "No, she is gorgeous", he thought, as he observed her obvious, muscular curves even through the baggy boys T-shirt she was wearing. He wondered if she was that tanned & taut everywhere. Then, in utter horror, he realized the direction his thoughts had taken, & that he had been openly staring at George for the past few minutes, & had no idea what the current conversation was about. He pulled himself together, & looked around to see if anyone had noticed anything. Everyone was still catching up with Ern, who was telling them about his holiday job, except Bets who was grinning at him. Her sparkling eyes confirmed his awful suspicion that she had some idea of the contents of his recent thoughts.

Over coffee they decided that they would split up into 5 pairs. While 1 pair was watching the house, the others could be browsing the Fair, & at strategic areas such as this coffee shop which was right in the middle of the town & so gave a good view of the surrounding areas. They would watch the house in shifts of 2 hours per team to avoid suspicion. No one would take notice of couples at a Fair, no matter how long they were there, but someone would be bound to notice the same couple loitering outside the same house for an entire day.

"I want to go with Fatty", announced Bets, grinning at him. George scowled. Anne looked at George & Julian looked at Dick, who shrugged & looked away. Jo frowned. Larry, Daisy & Pip smiled. The scene was so familiar to them from their childhood when Bets adored Fatty. Only Fatty showed no external reaction. But he groaned internally as he realized Bets wanted to be with him so she could tease him about George. The rest of them paired themselves off with Jo going with Larry, Pip with Anne, Daisy with Julian, & George with Dick. Ern had to go to work so unfortunately could not help. He promised to do night duty though.

George said she would take the first watch as she really did need to walk Timmy. Dick could meet her at the playground across the road from Goon's house. She said goodbye to the others, lingering a fraction longer on Fatty, who just stopped himself blushing, before leaving with Timmy. Jo & Larry said they would also take the first watch at the Fair, & left. The others decided to stay a bit longer & have another cup of coffee.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Larry spent a surprisingly pleasant few hours with Jo. He realized how much Jo had matured since the last time he saw her. She was still a gypsy, & proud of it, cheeky & wild at times, but now had beautiful, but relaxed, manners to soften her demeanour. She had evolved into the perfect combination of the best of both of her worlds. Several times Larry caught himself really enjoying her company, & having to remind himself that they were actually on a case, not a date, unfortunately.

As he watched her absentmindedly stroking the huge python sliding across her shoulders, while concentrating on what her friend, Spike, from the fair was relating, Larry wondered how his parents would react if he took her home. "They aren't snobs", he thought smiling to himself, "but it would be better if she didn't bring the snake."

"Penny for your thoughts", said Jo. Larry blinked. He hadn't realized she had left the snake & Spike & returned.

"Just wondering where Edgar could be", he lied quickly.

"About that, Spike had some news", Jo responded, "but I'm not sure if its related to the Stick mystery".

"What did he say?", enquired Larry.

"He said there was a guy here asking about Fatty", Jo answered with a frown. "But Edgar Stick doesn't know Fatty, does he?"

"I think we should tell Fatty & see what he makes of it", said Larry, watching Jo biting her bottom lip thoughtfully.

"What are you thinking?", Jo asked suddenly, fixing her brown eyes on him.

"Er . . . ", said Larry, blushing.

"Hi guys", interrupted Bets. She & Fatty had suddenly appeared. Larry breathed a sigh of relief at being spared from having to answer Jo, but then noticed Fatty's suspicious eyes on him, & watched Fatty's frown turn to a grin as his quick mind grasped what Larry's blush may imply.

"Hi! Listen Fatty, we have some news, but I'm not sure what it means", said Jo, dropping her voice.

Fatty ushered them to a lonely, shady spot, where they could talk without being heard.

"What did you hear?", he asked Jo curiously.

"According to my friend, Spike, the roundabout guy, there was someone here asking about "the fat boy & his friends who like to play detective", responded Jo. "He's dark, looks about 16 years old, & definitely spent some time at a fair before 'coz he knows our ways & speaks like us. And, he said his name was Prince Smith, but Spike said he had a nasty laugh when he said that so he, Spike, doesn't think that's his real name", finished Jo.

"No, that's probably not his real name. More like a clue to his identity, though", said Fatty thoughtfully. He turned to Bets & Larry. "What do you guys think?", he asked.

Bets answered immediately, "He's someone from our past, maybe from one of our mysteries."

"How do you know?", demanded Larry.

"Because Fatty is not a "fat boy" anymore, & we, his friends, have not "played detective" for a long time now", replied Bets simply.

"My thoughts exactly", said Fatty.

"Wait a minute", said Larry slowly. "Prince? Could it be that boy . . ."

"Rollo", said Fatty, nodding approvingly at Larry. "Yes, I think it might be. I used the name Smith when I went in disguise to see him, & 'Prince' is obviously a play on the fact that he pretended to be the vanished, or kidnapped, Prince Bongawah,"

"Rollo? Old man Tallery's nephew?", asked Jo.

"Yes", replied Fatty, "do you know him?"

"Not personally", said Jo, "but there are so few fairs left that most fair folk know each other, or have heard of each other at least. I heard that Rollo is a bad sort. He & his uncle was involved in the kidnapping of a prince, & when his uncle was jailed for that, Rollo just got worse afterwards with no one to control him. Eventually he was sent to a Home."

"Here comes Julian & Daisy", said Bets, spotting the couple walking towards them.

They filled Julian & Daisy in on Spike's news & their deductions so far.

Julian looked at Fatty. "Do you think this guy could be working with Edgar Stick, or could it possibly be pure coincidence?", he asked.

"I honestly don't know", replied Fatty, "but this feels like too much of a coincidence, if you know what I mean. I'm going to give the Chief-Inspector a call & find out which Home Rollo was sent to. If it's the same one that Stick was at, then this is definitely not a coincidence."

Fatty went off immediately to make his call, & Jo took the others to meet her fire-eating uncle, & the python named Beauty.

George was so deep in thought about Fatty & Bets that she didn't notice the dark youth watching her from the other side of the road. Timmy noticed him but since George didn't react, he didn't bother much.

George only paid attention when Timmy started to growl. He stood completely rigid, hackles up, staring at the bushes at the far end of the newly developed playground opposite Mr. Goon's house. George also looked but could see nothing.

"What's up?", she asked Timmy, puzzled.

Then, unexpectedly, Timmy barked, before bounding off to the bushes, his tail now wagging. George went after him immediately, but he had already disappeared into the bushes. She could hear him moving around, & she thought she heard a low voice, then all was quiet. Puzzled, she whistled shrilly. She heard Timmy immediately coming towards her, but at the same time, something, or someone, was moving in the opposite direction.

Timmy appeared, looking pleased with himself, & stood directly in front of her. She looked down at him & saw a piece of paper stuffed under his collar. Astonished that Timmy had allowed someone this close, she bent down & extracted it.

"Who put this here?", she asked him. He gave a little whine & turned & walked a little back the way he had come, & then stopped & looked at her.

"Ok, you want me to come with me", George said, immediately following him.

They went in a little further, but then Timmy stopped, & looked at George. He whined again, & seemed to not find what he was looking for.

"Come Timmy, let's go back to our post", said George frowning.

While walking back, she opened the piece of paper. It was a note, hastily scribbled with charcoal, by someone with limited education, & read "YOU & FRENDS IN BIG DANEJER. LEEV FRUM YERE. – YOUR FRENDS, N & P"

She had just finishing reading this mysterious note, when she heard Dick calling her. She shouted back, & grinned at his look of amazement at her & Timmy emerging from the bushes.

"What were you doing there?", Dick asked.

She explained, & showed him the note. He read it, frowning.

"Translated, this obviously says 'You & your friends are in big, or grave, danger. Leave from here. Signed your friends, N & P'. But who's N & P?", Dick finished, perplexed.

"I don't know, but they must really be friendly 'coz Timmy allowed them to put this thing on him", George said. She looked at Timmy. "I wish you could tell us who was here".

Timothy wagged his tail & barked.

"Thanks Tim", said Dick, smiling. "If only we understand doggy language".

George suddenly looked up across the street, to see the dark youth walking away. He glanced back at her, grinned horribly, & continued walking away. She frowned, feeling uneasy. She knew she had not been paying attention, but she was sure he was there from the time she had arrived on this street.

"What's up?", asked Dick, noting her frown.

"I can't explain it, but I feel like that guy was watching us this whole time", she replied.

Dick glanced down the street to take another look at the guy he briefly saw walking away, but by now the youth was too far away to notice much detail. He glanced back at George. "We need to show this to the others", he said.

George checked her watch. "The next two should be here in half an hour", she responded. "We'll tell them, & then meet the others at the Fair."

In about 30 minutes, George noticed Julian & Daisy strolling towards them deep in conversation. She started to grin at the soppy, adoring look on Daisy's face as she hung onto everything Julian said, & then abruptly stopped as a very sobering thought entered her head. "Do I look at Fatty like that?", George thought, suddenly feeling a bit sick. She silently vowed to herself never to look at Fatty again!

Besides her, Dick was marveling at Julian effortlessly entertaining Daisy. "Why can't Bets be that easy to charm?", he wondered grumpily to himself.

Julian looked up, caught them staring at him & Daisy, & grinned back.

"Hi", gushed Daisy. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Er . . . we're watching Goon's house, remember?", replied George, a bit taken aback. Pink's song, _Stupid Girls_ came to mind as she tried to comprehend why a normally intelligent, independent, responsible young lady was behaving like a giggling schoolgirl.

Julian pulled George away from her musings as he started to fill them in about Rollo. George in turn related their morning's events, & showed him the note. He was just as puzzled as they were about N & P.

"The others are all messing about at the fair", Julian said.

"Ok", said Dick. "We'll go meet them".

George & Dick left Julian & Daisy playing in the kids' playground & wandered off to the Fair.

Anne had spent a pleasant time relaxing on the river bank with Pip, listening to his version of the mysteries the Find-Outers had solved, until Ern ruined it all.

Maybe she was biased, but she liked Pip's version of events. When everyone else spoke about it, it seemed like Fatty was the only brains of the group & had done all the work in every mystery. The way Pip narrated it, it seemed like everyone had an important role to play.

It was while she was hanging onto Pip's words, much like Daisy was doing with Julian, that they spotted Ern on the river.

Ern's holiday job was giving speedboat rides on the river. He would pick people up at a point down the river, & ferry them to a point about 20 minutes up the river, pick up another group from there, & ferry them down, etc. Ern loved every minute of it, being in the sun, with the spray cooling him down.

Anne interrupted Pip's narration to point out Ern. It appeared as if Ern was talking to himself, as there was no one else on the boat. He pulled off a little way from them, tied the boat up, & took his lunch out to have under a tree.

Anne hailed him. He turned, saw them, grinned & came over.

"Hi", he said cheerfully. "Aren't you guys supposed to be working on the Stick case?"

"It's not our turn to do any watching as yet", replied Anne. "Ern, why were you talking to yourself in the boat?"

"I wasn't talking to myself", Ern laughed. "I was reciting my portry. I'm writing a new pome for someone, about something special".

"Oh, I see", smiled Anne, immediately thinking how lucky Bets was to have a genuinely nice, funny, decent guy like Ern interested in her. "If only she could get together with Ern, then George may have a chance with Fatty", mused Anne to herself.

Next to Anne, Pip sat up a bit straighter, & cleared his throat.

"Ern", began Pip, "this is not pleasant for me to point out, but you can not be serious about Bets".

"What?", asked Ern, looking comically confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Look", Pip continued, "it's obvious to all of us that you like Bets. She may reciprocate those feelings slightly, but it can't go any further. As much as you're a good friend, Ern, you're just not on the same level as us. My parents would never approve of Bets dating you", he finished.

Ern had been about to take a bite of his sandwich when Pip had starting talking. He was now frozen with the sandwich halfway to his mouth. He lowered the sandwich slowly, & surveyed Pip, frowning.

"Pip, are you saying I'm not good enough for your sister because I'm from . . . from . . . a lower class?", he stuttered.

"To be blunt, yes", replied Pip, looking down. "I'm sorry, Ern, but that's the truth. Bets is trying to rebel against being the baby in the family, & against the strictness of our parents. That's why she's so close to you. It's to annoy us. So don't go writing her poetry, & declaring your love or anything. It will not work between you two", he finished.

Ern stared at Pip like he couldn't believe his eyes. Without a word, he got up, gathered his things & left to go & sit in the gently rocking boat.

Anne watched him leave, then turned to Pip.

"You absolute snob, Phillip Hilton!", she cried. "How dare you treat anyone like that, especially someone who is a friend?"

Pip stared at her with his mouth open. Julian, Dick, & George all knew that it took a lot to make Anne lose her temper, but when she did, it was always about something important, so watch out! Pip, however, had no idea that quiet, meek Anne had it in her to even argue back, let alone rage at someone.

"It's not Ern that's not good enough to be with us", continued Anne, her voice dripping with derision, "it's you, with your pathetic pride & prejudice. You should read the book of that title by Jane Austen. Maybe, you'll learn something. Then again maybe your mind is too small to grasp such big concepts!", she finished, before storming off to Ern's boat, leaving a shocked Pip sitting alone on the bank.

Anne spent a very happy afternoon with Ern on the boat. He was very funny, gentle, & thoughtful. For the umpteenth time, Anne found herself thinking how lucky Bets was. Ern refused to talk about Pip, saying only that Pip did what he thought was right.

"So tell me about this poem. It is for Bets, isn't it?", asked Anne.

Ern grinned at her. "Actually, no. It's for Fatty", was his shocking response.

Anne felt the heat rising to her face. Ern noticed, frowned, & then as he realized what Anne must be thinking, he burst out laughing.

"I don't mean I'm writing from me to Fatty. I'm not gay, & I doubt he is either", he laughed. "Fatty asked me to write a pome expressing his feelings about someone he fancies. For the first time, he says, he's at a loss for words", Ern explained.

"Who does he fancy?", asked Anne, curiously.

"No idea", replied Ern. "Guys don't talk about that sort of thing".

"Right", said Anne, wondering why it was ok to confess that you had feelings for someone, & to ask for a poem expressing such feelings, but it was not ok to talk about the person.

"Bets & I are just really good friends", continued Ern. "I think of her as I would a sister".

Just then George & Dick joined them. Anne decided not to tell George about this poem of Ern's until they could find out who it was for. Fatty & Bets, & Julian & Daisy (when Larry & Jo had taken over) joined them at different times, & shared all news.

Fatty had confirmed with the Chief-Inspector that Rollo was indeed in the same Home as Edgar Stick, so the possibility that they were now working together was almost confirmed. George felt sure that the youth watching her & Dick earlier that day had been Rollo.

The closest to a clue they got was Anne's feeling that N & P meant something, but she just couldn't think what.

They rotated the rest of the day's shifts without incident, & without noticing the old woman from a nearby stall watching them closely.


	4. Chapter 4

The eleven of them, & the two dogs, of course, met at dawn the next morning for an early breakfast & a recap of what they knew thus far. Julian & Ern had just finished their uneventful night shift. Julian & Fatty had briefly agreed yesterday that they would spare this one hour when all of them could be together.

"I don't know if watching Goon's house is coming to anything", said Dick, yawning. "So far everything has happened everywhere else except his house".

"I agree", said Jo, grinning. "I vote for Fair duty only".

"Absolutely!", agreed almost all of them, emphatically. The two dogs barked their agreement as well, which added to the general laughter.

"Except that there's one little thing about Goon's house that has been puzzling me from yesterday morning, & I just put my finger on it now", said Julian frowning.

"What is it?", asked Larry.

"Well, did you notice that all the curtains have been drawn the entire day & night? Have any of you seen them open on your shift?", asked Julian.

"No, you're right", said Fatty, thoughtfully. "In fact, has anyone seen Mr Goon at all for the past two days?"

The waitress had come over to refill their cups & had heard Fatty's question. She glanced at him, looked around to make sure that they were the only ones in the shop, & then spoke. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't help overhearing. Are you talking about PC Goon?"

"Yes", replied Fatty, swiftly. "Have you seen him?", he asked, his eyes taking in every detail of the waitress, while around him, ten others were doing the same.

"No", she replied, smiling. "But I know that he's became ill two days ago, & has been in bed since then. His nephews have been taking care of him. I know one's name is Ern, I'm not sure what the other's name is."

Ern choked on his coffee, but at a glance from Fatty, he said nothing.

"How do you know this?", asked Fatty.

"Well, this Ern has been ordering breakfast for all of them each morning, & he's been ordering lunch & dinner too, from the restaurant my sister works at. We spoke about it because this guy is rude & expects a bit too much from us, I think", she replied, hurriedly. "I mean, the delivery person has to go to the road behind Mr Goon's house, go down the dirty little alleyway next to the house directly behind his house, & deliver the meals to that little back entrance where his property meets the alleyway. I really can't understand why."

Fatty thanked her filling them in & motioned to the others to continue talking about other topics. Julian immediately asked about the latest movie being released & the rest of them responded at once with so much enthusiasm that the helpful waitress looked startled before disappearing into the back. As soon as she was gone, everyone shut up & looked at Fatty.

Fatty's mind was reeling. "You guys realize what this means, don't you?"

"Edgar, & maybe Rollo, know we're watching the house", answered Dick.

"And more importantly, this confirms that they actually are in Goon's house", added Larry.

"Yeah, using my name", snorted Ern, angrily.

"So where's Mr Goon?", asked George, soberly.

There was silence as each of them realized that this probably meant that Mr Goon was in real danger. In all likelihood, he was being held captive in his own house.

"So what should we do now?", asked Pip, looking around.

There was another thoughtful pause before Julian spoke, "I think we should continue watching the house as we planned to. We don't want them to become suspicious about why we suddenly gave up."

"Yes, but shouldn't we also start watching this alleyway entrance?", asked Bets, frowning. "You know, I actually completely forgot about that entrance."

"Me too", said Fatty, who had been silent for a while now. "I'm kicking myself for not remembering that alleyway. Anyway, I agree that we should continue watching as we planned, but that a second couple watch the alleyway. A couple loitering in a lonely alleyway shouldn't be suspicious. Maybe you & Daisy can do that watch, Ju?", he finished, looking the picture of innocence while the others snickered around the table.

Daisy blushed, & studied her suddenly fascinating coffee cup. Julian grinned & nodded consent, ignoring the others.

"I also suggest that those of us on night watch duty try to get a bit closer the house, if its quiet & looks safe enough", continued Fatty.

"Yes", agreed Jo, looking at George. "I was thinking that as well. We need to try to get in to find out exactly where Mr Goon is in order to rescue him."

After a rocky start where Jo & George had found it difficult to accept someone so similar to themselves, as they each had been the best tomboy in their respective communities, they had eventually recognized in each other an ally instead of a rival, & regularly backed each other up when the boys would not let them join in dangerous activities.

"I have to be in on the night rescue", said Ern seriously, looking at Fatty. "I know I'm not as smart as you, Fatty, or as daring as George & Jo, but that's my uncle who's in danger. Despite how he's treated me, he's still my family. I have to help him."

"I think you're brilliant, Ern", said Bets & Anne together. Bets looked at Anne, blank shock on her face, while Anne blushed & looked down.

"I think you'd be most useful tonight, Ern", said Fatty. "I agree that you should definitely go. Now, who's on duty in the front of the house in the morning?"

"Dick & I are", replied George, avoiding Fatty's eyes. "I think we should go now. We've been here ages already."

"Do you mind going ahead with Tim?", asked Dick. "I need to pick up something from the pharmacy for my allergies. This weather is making them act up terribly."

"Sure", replied George. "See you later." She spoke to the table at large, deliberately avoiding Fatty's eye. She would not behave like a _Stupid Girl_. Jo would never let her forget it!

Fatty watched her leave, puzzled. Was it his overactive imagination or was George avoiding him?

Around him, the group began to disperse. Dick went off to the pharmacy, Julian & Daisy went off to the alley, & Jo & Larry went to the Fair.

Bets looked at Anne with an evil grin. "Lets go for a walk by the river, Anne?", she asked sweetly.

"Sure", smiled Anne, her heart sinking. Bets was a really good friend, whom Anne knew was going to question her about either Ern, or Pip, or both.

Ern watched them leave, frowning to himself. Pip watched Ern. Before he could say anything, Ern turned back to Fatty. "I don't feel right about my uncle, Fatty", said Ern, gravely. "I just feel that he's in trouble."

"Listen, Ern, I've got an idea", said Fatty, thoughtfully.

Ern sat up straight & looked at him expectantly.

Pip slipped off quietly, assuming that Fatty & Ern had not even noticed that he was still there.

"I was thinking that we should just knock at the front door, & see who answers or what happens", continued Fatty, watching Pip walk away, but pushing it to the back of his mind to dwell on later. "I mean, this forces these guys to either show themselves, & then we can tell the Chief-Inspector to send troops, or they can ignore us, in which case we can have a loud conversation on the front stoop about how worried you are about your uncle, & how we should call the police, etc".

"Brilliant", said Ern, his eyes shining. "So I'll have to go, as his concerned nephew".

"Yes", agreed Fatty, smiling at Ern's excitement. "You're the key player in this".

"Brilliant", repeated Ern.

Just then the waitress came over to clear the table, with the bill. Fatty was about to pay, when Ern stopped him, grinning. "I'll pay", he said, "I got paid my wages yesterday".

"Thanks", said Fatty, touched at Ern's generosity, though he earned so little.

The two of them left the coffee shop & made their way to the Fair to meet the others.

Meanwhile, Anne & Bets were having a very interesting conversation, about everyone.

As Anne had suspected, Bets immediately questioned her about her comment to Ern.

"Ern told me what happened with Pip yesterday", Bets started. "Is that why you're not interested in him any longer? And do you really like Ern, or are you just trying to make Pip jealous?", demanded Bets, relentlessly.

"Whoa! I feel like I'm in an interrogation room", exclaimed Anne. "Firstly, as 'girly' as I am, as George says, I don't like playing games. So, no, I'm definitely not doing anything to intentionally make Pip jealous. I did really like him, for a while now, as you know, but listening to him go off at Ern yesterday made me realize for the first time how different we are", explained Anne, quietly.

Bets sighed. "I love Pip. He's my brother, & I'm very proud of him. But we were raised very strictly, & have strict traditions & expectations. Pip is the eldest, so he feels that he must uphold everything that my parents think & believe, or else he is being disloyal. He's not really a bad person."

"I know", sighed Anne. She looked at Bets as they sat on the river bank they had been making their way to. "What about you?", she asked, curiously. "I mean, you were raised the same way, but you don't seem as rigid as Pip?"

"I think its partly because I was exposed to Fatty at such a tender age", Bets laughed. "I know everyone thinks I'm in love with him, but I really just admired him for being such a great guy. As brilliant as he is, he's still treats everyone with respect & kindness. He also didn't treat me like a baby, but listened to my ideas, which made me realize that girls can be as good as boys. Then I met George, & she proved it!", Bets finished, with a smile.

"Do they still treat you like a baby?", asked Anne.

"I think I'm slowly shattering that image, with my dressing & general behavior", grinned Bets. "I even took up kickboxing. Thank goodness Daisy agreed to come with me."

"Kickboxing!", exclaimed Anne. "Wish I thought of that. But then again, they would have said I was trying to be like George or something. I took up dance."

"Ballet?", asked Bets, teasingly.

"Hip-Hop", grinned Anne. "I have learnt to move my body in ways I didn't know was possible. I don't know how much respect its earned from my brothers, however."

Bets laughed. "The things we do for them. But your brothers don't seem bad."

"They're not", replied Anne. "I'm glad Ju seems happy with Daisy. I hope Dick meets someone soon as well." She glanced slyly at Bets as she said this, & was pleased to see Bets slowly reddening.

"Why are you blushing Bets?", Anne asked innocently.

Bets glared at her, but didn't respond, & turned even redder.

"Bets, do you like my brother?", demanded Anne.

"Ok", groaned Bets. "Yes, I do. I have had a crush on Dick since we first met you guys. But I think he sees me as he does you. He likes Jo, doesn't he?" she asked Anne, earnestly.

Anne smiled. "Actually, no", she replied, smiling at the look of delight on Bets face. "Jo and Dick are just really good friends, much like Ern & you. Also, if there was anything between Jo & Dick, she would not be kissing Larry over there", Anne finished, nodding towards a semi-secluded spot further on.

Bets glanced without really seeing anything. Her mind was racing. She had been so sure that Jo was her 'competition'.

"Its funny, isn't it, how things pan out", Anne said casually. "We thought you were either totally into either Fatty or Ern. I should tell George." Anne spoke without realizing what she had said.

Bets stared at her. "Why George?", she demanded. Then she gasped. "George likes Fatty!"

"Shhh!", begged Anne. "This is top secret. George would kill me if she knew I told you."

"But this is great", cried Bets, her eyes shining. "I wanted to be partnered with Fatty yesterday to tease him about George. I caught him seriously checking her out at the coffee shop."

Anne sat straight up. "Fatty likes George", she gasped. "So Ern's poem is for George?"

"How do you know about that?" gulped Bets. "I asked Ern to write it for Fatty, & then I was going to give it to George from Fatty. He would kill me, but he needs a push. If I don't help, then nothing will happen."

"Agreed", said Anne, nodding. "George is just as bad so count me in."

A thought suddenly struck Bets & she looked straight at Anne. "You've haven't answered my questions about Ern", she questioned. "Do you like him?"

Anne smiled, blushing. "Lets just say that I had a very happy afternoon yesterday, & the cherry on the top was finding out that you two are just friends", she said. "Of course, I have no idea how he feels", she finished soberly.

"Maybe you don't, but I do", laughed Bets. "He's had a crush on you from the time he met you! Please be good to him", she continued seriously. "He's a really nice guy."

Before Anne could respond, they heard a shout from the object of their conversation. They turned to see Ern & Fatty coming towards them.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

George walked slowly towards Mr Goon's house, again deep in thought about how she was going to get Fatty out of her system. Timmy ran on a little in front of her. Then he stopped, growled, & then bounded into the bush before George could stop him.

George started to run after him, when Edgar Stick suddenly stepped into her path. She stopped & stared at him, shocked at his sudden appearance. He had the same pasty face, & sleazy smile that he had when they were younger. But he also now had a mad glint in his eyes, as he grinned at her.

'Hello, Georgie Porgie", he drawled. "I was hoping to run into you.'

George stepped back, her mind racing, & felt the unmistakable prod of the barrel of a revolver in her middle back. She froze.

Edgar laughed mirthlessly, & nodded behind her. "That's Prince Rollo behind you", he said. "Feel free to bow."

A low, menacing growl alerted all of them to the fact that Timmy was back. With his hackles raised, & his teeth barred, he looked a terrifying sight, & his eyes were trained on Edgar. George watched as the blood drained from Edgar's face. She felt movement behind her & she & Timmy both turned to Rollo. The blood drained from George's face as she saw that Rollo was now pointing the gun directly at Timmy.

George immediately leapt in front of Timmy.

"Call him off & send him away, quietly", commanded Edgar, "or Rollo will shoot."

George turned to Timmy & held his growling face in her hands. "Timmy, listen to me", she commanded clearly. "Go to Fatty. Go & find Fatty."

Timmy looked at her & whined. "Go to Fatty", repeated George firmly.

Timmy obeyed, slowly. Every couple of steps he turned & looked back at them, as if he knew his mistress was in trouble & he was deserting her.

When Timmy was out of sight, & hearing, Edgar faced George. 'Come", he ordered, & led the way into Mr Goon's front gate.

Rollo had the revolver trained back on George again. She had no choice but to follow Edgar. As furious as she was, she was certain of three things: Timmy would go to Fatty, Fatty would deduce that something had happened to her, & the entire group would definitely try to rescue her. In the interim maybe she could find out what had happened to Mr Goon.

They entered Mr Goon's house & shoved George into the study. Mr Goon was there, tied up, gagged, & bruised. They had obviously beaten him up. Edgar pushed George again. Her temper suddenly got the better of her. She turned & shoved him back. He punched her & then grabbed the gun from Rollo & pointed it against her head. She was reeling from the heavy punch she just received but was about to fight back, gun or no gun, when Edgar deliberately pointed the revolver at Mr Goon. George stilled immediately. She noticed how Mr Goon's eyes widened in terror, & wondered what these brutes had done to him to scare him this much.

"I'm cleaning out my closet", sang Edgar, still aiming the gun at Mr Goon, while Rollo chuckled maniacally. "And I'm starting with all the people in my past that helped get me here. First, my wonderful uncle over there who told me what a good thing it was for me to not have my parents around, then you, Georgie Porgie, who took my family away."

He was snarling now, & even Rollo had stopped chuckling, but was still relishing the scene before him.

"Then we will move on to your dog, your cousins & maybe even your parents. Did you know that my parents both died in jail?", he asked softly, staring at George. Then he suddenly struck her with the gun on her head. She heard Rollo's maniacal laugh as everything went black.

At the fair, Fatty & Ern made their way over to where Bets & Anne sat, with Buster capering around them as usual. Fatty noticed the old woman at a nearby stall watching them closely. She noticed him looking at her & glared back, before shaking her fist at him & retreating behind the stall. Something stirred in Fatty's memory but before he could think about it, they had reached Anne & Bets, & beside him Ern was _bowing_ to the girls. Fatty stared at him in astonishment.

"Oh, fairest ladies", exclaimed Ern loudly, "would thou mindest if a lowly servant like me joins you?"

Anne just smiled, spotting Pip close by & realizing this was for his benefit. Bets, however, immediately accepted the invitation to be absurd.

"Oh, Ern", she cried, "of course you may sit near us, but not with us. People on your level are not really allowed to associate with us, you know."

"I know, I know", replied Ern, shaking his head dramatically. 'Spitty!"

Bets burst into real laughter. "I forgot we used to say that", she laughed delightedly.

Fatty had by now also seen Pip, but his sharp eyes also noticed how red Pip was, & he guessed correctly at the reasons for Ern's sudden performance. Taking pity on Pip, Fatty went over to join him. Larry & Jo, hearing the commotion, broke apart & wandered over to join Bets, Anne, & Ern.

Then Dick arrived, looking for Fatty. They called Fatty & Pip over & turned to Dick.

"What's wrong, Dick?", asked Fatty, anxiously.

"I can't find George", replied Dick, worriedly. "I was supposed to meet her outside Goon's house, but when I got there, she wasn't there. I went around the back to see if she was with Julian & Daisy, but they haven't seen her either. It's just not like her to desert her post. I have a terrible feeling that something's wrong."

Just then they all heard a familiar bark, & turned to see Timmy racing to them. The sight of Timothy without George chilled Fatty more than anything Dick had just reported. George was never without Timmy, but more significantly, Tim would never leave George's side, unless he had no choice.

Buster welcomed Tim when he reached them but for once Timmy ignored the little Scottie. He only had thoughts for his mistress right now.

Tim went straight to Fatty & whined. "What's up, boy?", asked Fatty, patting him. "Where's George?"

Timmy immediately turned, walked a little way, then turned & whined at Fatty.

"He wants us to follow him", said Fatty. "Dick & Ern, come with me. The rest of you wait here. We can't have such a huge group following Tim. We'll just draw attention to ourselves unnecessarily."

"Ok", Bets answered for all of them. "Where shall we meet you?"

"At my shed", replied Fatty, hastily. "In about an hour." He raced after Tim, with Dick, Ern & Buster right behind him.

Timmy led them back to Mr Goon's house, to the very spot where Edgar & Rollo had accosted George, & then stopped & whined at Fatty.

Fatty looked up at the house. "I guess Edgar, & possibly Rollo, captured George, & she's in there", he thought aloud. "They probably had a firearm or something, which is why she would not have allowed Timmy to attack."

"So how do we get in to rescue her?", asked Dick.

"Why don't we do what you suggested this morning?", asked Ern, looking at Fatty. "I can play the concerned nephew."

Fatty was silent while pondering this. Eventually he nodded. "Ok, let's go. Dick, will you wait here with Tim & Buster to alert the others if anything happens to Ern or me?"

Dick agreed, & watched Ern & Fatty make their way to the front door.

Ern knocked loudly on the front door, then they waited with bated breath. There was no answer. Ern knocked again, then tried the door. It opened. Both of them froze, not sure what to do next.

"Uncle", called Ern. "Are you here?"

"Ern? Is that you?", came a reply. To their shock it was Mr Goon's voice, although weak & hoarse.

"Yes", replied Ern, unsure of what to do now. "I just wanted to check if, erm, you were ok?"

"Come inside, Ern", replied the voice. "I'm in the study."

Ern turned to Fatty. "I'm going", he whispered.

"You know its probably a trap, right? They are probably forcing your uncle to reply," whispered back Fatty urgently.

"Yes, but if I'm there, with George & Uncle, we outnumber them. And you can let the police know if I don't come back", replied Ern in a whisper, already stepping inside. "But I trust you to rescue us, Fatty", he added, before entering & closing the door.

Fatty waited for a minute or two to try to hear anything, but couldn't, so he left & waited on the road with Dick. They waited there for about half an hour, with no sign of either Ern or George, or even Edgar & Rollo, before going down to Fatty's shed to meet the others.

Inside the house, Ern had walked into the study to see Edgar pointing a firearm at his uncle, whose gag had been removed so he could reply to Ern, & George who was slumped unconscious on the floor. Both were tied up & gagged.

Before Ern could react, he was hit from behind, & slumped onto the floor as well.

Fatty tried to call the Chief-Inspector, but he was not in. They had retrieved Julian & Daisy from the alley, & all had convened in Fatty's tiny shed at the back of his garden.

"I tried calling the Chief", started Fatty, gravely, "but he wasn't in. I left a message for him to call me back on my cellphone urgently."

"Are you going to wait for his call before we do anything?", asked Julian, tensely.

Fatty looked at him, while everyone else looked at Fatty.

"It would be the most responsible thing to do", he replied slowly. There was a general outcry at his statement, & Tim barked indignantly.

"However", Fatty continued in a louder voice, "since when do any of us do the responsible thing? Besides, I'm genuinely concerned that we've lost two of our own within an hour or so. That house is becoming a black hole that people disappear into."

"So we go tonight?", asked Dick, anxiously.

Fatty again looked at Julian, who nodded firmly. "Ok", replied Fatty. "We go tonight."

"All of us?", persisted Bets.

"Of course", said Anne fiercely, before Fatty or Julian could answer. "That's my cousin in there."

Fatty smiled. "I wouldn't dare stop any of you. Also, maybe a large number gives us an advantage."

"I think that until then, one of us at a time hang around nearby, preferably out of sight, in case these guys decide to move their prisoners or something," suggested Julian.

"Yes", agreed Dick. "Then we all meet tonight in the bushes in the playground to plan our break-in."

They agreed on a time for that night, & then dispersed, with Larry taking the first watch. Julian stayed with Fatty to discuss the details of that night's rescue, & Tim stayed with them too. Although he would normally have been with Julian, Dick, or Anne since George was not around, George's last instruction to him was to go to Fatty, so he didn't want to leave Fatty.

In Mr Goon's little study, George came to & struggled into a sitting position. Her hands & legs were tied, her head was throbbing, & her vision was still a bit hazy. She remembered exactly what had happened & looked around to see Mr Goon, & _Ern_, both tied, but not gagged. Ern was still unconscious.

"Are you all right?", asked Mr Goon, hoarsely.

"I've been worse", grimaced George. "Where are those idiots? And what happened to you?"

Mr Goon answered that Edgar & Rollo had gone out, & then related how he had answered his door, late at night, three nights ago & been overpowered by Edgar & Rollo, & had been a prisoner since.

"I knew it was late so it may be dangerous, but I had to answer the door in case it was some decent folks in need of assistance from the law. It was my bounden duty", he finished, trying to look dignified.

"Three nights ago?", exclaimed George. "That's when we arrived here."

She remembered them deciding not to go on watch duty that night as they were too tired & full.

Just then Ern stirred, their voices having woken him. He sat up & looked around, trying to stop the pain in his head, & trying to make the room stop spinning.

He looked at the window & then stared.

"Am I still unconscious, or is that a monkey looking at us?", he asked weakly.

George looked at the window in surprise. Indeed, there was a chimpanzee looking at them, & next to the chimp was a face that George could just recognize, though it was more grown up & more bruised that she had seen before.

"Gosh, that's Nobby", she cried. "So that must be Pongo, the chimp. N & P!"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Nobby was grinning at her, & besides him Pongo was making faces at them. As they watched a shadow loomed behind Nobby & Pongo. They heard a voice bellow "NOBBY!". Then Pongo turned & they heard a gunshot ring out. They heard Nobby's scream, & could no longer see Pongo.

George was shaking. They heard someone say, "Get inside, now!", & then the sounds of people walking into the house.

Someone opened the study door & shoved a weeping Nobby, inside. Behind him came another face that George barely recognized & never thought she'd see again. Inwardly shocked, she appeared perfectly calm on the outside.

"Hello, Tiger Dan", she greeted. "I can honestly say it's not a pleasure to see you again."

Behind Tiger Dan was another man that George didn't recognize, & Edgar & Rollo. The stranger was angrily telling them that because of the gunshot, they would have to leave this place, & remove all of them to "Tallery's old hideout". "Best to keep these with the other prisoner, anyway", he finished.

Edgar was shouting that they didn't shoot the dog in the morning because of the attention the gunshot would bring.

Tiger Dan ignored all of this & merely told Edgar to get ready to move tonight.

Then they locked the study door & left again.

George looked at Nobby. "Nobby!", she cried. "Where's Pongo? And why are you here?"

Nobby explained how he & Pongo were working at the fair when Tiger Dan & his Uncle Lou had broken out of prison & come here, to this village, to meet an old, just-as-criminal friend of their's who had also just broken out of prison. He had heard that the five were in town, & that this Edgar character was going to help Tiger Dan & Lou "finish off the Five". Then they had found him & Pongo, but couldn't get near him because Pongo was always there to scare them off. At this point he stopped & choked back a sob, before continuing.

"He shot Pongo with a tranquiliser gun. He's lying outside, unconscious. I don't know what they want to do with him", he finished.

"Its ok, Nobby", said George, more calmly than she felt. "Julian & the others know we're in here. They'll definitely try to rescue us. They're probably just waiting for dark."

"But that's when they're moving us", stated Ern, gravely.

There was silence as each of them worried about this. Then Mr Goon asked how George knew Nobby & Pongo, & George related the tale of when the Five of them went caravanning, & the adventures they'd had on that hillside. Nobby added his commentary every now & again.

When darkness fell, Fatty & the rest of them met in the bushes in the playground across the road from Mr Goon's house. As they stood around, listening to Fatty explaining the plan he & Julian had developed that afternoon, a black van, with a red stripe going around it, pulled up in front of the house. The engine was switched off, & they could tell the driver was alone. Fatty tried to make out what he looked like so he could give the Chief a decent description. The moon, most obligingly came out from behind the clouds right then, & the driver looked their way. Fatty stifled a gasp, his mind already racing to piece different images together. "It's Fangio", he whispered to the others. At their blank looks, he added "the Missing Man, disguised as an old woman, remember?"

He had already realized that the old woman at the fair who had shaken her fist at him had reminded him of Fangio in disguise, which she probably was . . .

The front door of Mr Goon's house suddenly opened, & two figures emerged, helping another two figures.

Timmy began to growl softly, but menacingly. Fatty could make out that Edgar was escorting a still tied Mr Goon to the van. It seemed like Rollo was helping another youth that Fatty couldn't recognize. After Edgar & Rollo had shoved the two prisoners into the back of the van, they went back into the garden, bent down & carried something that looked scarily like a body, which they deposited into the back of the van as well, before returning into the house.

When they appeared again, each of them again supporting a figure, there was no doubt that one of the figures was George. For one, she was being practically dragged because she was trying so frantically to pull away from Edgar's clutches, & for another, Timmy completely lost it. He leapt through the bushes, barking & growling viciously, & leapt onto Edgar, dropping him to the ground.

Ern took advantage of the distraction & kicked Rollo in the groin area. The others, who had been a bit stunned with how suddenly everything had happened, rushed from the bushes.

First on the scene was Fatty, who had a pocket-knife which he used to quickly cut through George's ropes & then Ern's. Dick & Pip had rushed to the back of the van & pulled out the first body they felt. As they left Nobby, without even realizing who he was, & turned back to the van, two things happened at the same time. Fangio realized what was happening outside & started the van, & a gunshot echoed through the night.

It was as if someone had pressed Pause. Everyone turned to see Timmy fall to the ground, the fur on his chest already turning red, & then everyone froze.

Rollo took advantage of the pause & dragged up a badly bitten Edgar, who still had the gun he had finally managed to draw while struggling with Timmy, clasped in his hand. The two of them just managed to jump into the van before Fangio sped away.

George knelt beside Tim, her tears openly falling, & stroked his head. Tim whined, his slightly glazed brown eyes fixed on her. For the first time in her life, George didn't know what to do. She couldn't think about anything except that this was Tim, her oldest, best, most loyal friend. He had never judged her, or cared if she acted like a boy, or was stubborn & fierce. He was always loyal & protective, & always there for her. And he was dying, & she didn't know what to do.

She knew the others were there but she also felt that they could not understand. They didn't have a pet of their own.

Someone kneeled in front of her, on the other side of Tim. She looked up into Fatty's clear blue eyes. There was so much emotion in his eyes. George realized that he was probably the only person there that could understand what Tim meant to her. Buster adored Fatty as much as Timmy adored her.

Fatty slid his arms under Tim's body, & effortlessly carried the big dog to his SUV parked a few doors away. George still couldn't move, until she felt another two strong arms lift her. She sank back against Julian, & then looked at the others. They were all in tears, though Jo & the boys were furiously dashing them away. George felt a bit ashamed to have thought that they wouldn't understand. Timmy was just as important to all of them, as anyone else was.

Julian supported George to Fatty's SUV, & helped her climb in before Fatty sped off to a nearby animal hospital. Everyone else followed in all their different vehicles.

Once at the hospital, a vet took Timmy into theatre immediately. Partly to distract a frantic George, they began discussing their next move. It was there that Nobby was introduced to the rest of the group & his story told. In the middle of this Fatty received a call from Chief-Inspector Jenks.

Fatty returned from his call just as Nobby was completing his tale about how worried he was about Pongo being left alone without him. "He's going to be angry, & in pain, when he wakes up", he finished. "They will not be able to control him, so they're gonna have to . . . to . . .shoot him".

Everyone looked at Fatty, who looked like he was about to burst.

"What did the Inspector say?", urged Pip.

"Well, some of it we already know", started Fatty, "like about Tiger Dan, Lou, & Fangio breaking out of prison. But Fangio was originally in prison, before he broke out the first time when we caught him, for his part in the kidnapping of a girl, a very wealthy American scientist's daughter. And she's been kidnapped again, just yesterday", Fatty ended excitedly. So, if we only knew where they are, we can rescue everyone in one coup."

Jo started as if to say something, & then stopped, unnoticed by anyone.

Through the density of anxiety & grief about Tim, something rang in George's tired mind. Phrases of overheard conversations jumped at her.

"What is it, George?", asked Larry, suddenly noticing her frowning concentration. She looked so like Fatty when he was piecing complex stuff together.

George looked up. "I remember Fangio, I think it was, saying they were going to move us to Tallery's old hideout, where the other prisoner was, or something like that."

"Yes, it was exactly that", cried Ern, excitedly. "Where's Tallery's hideout, Fatty?"

Everyone smiled at Ern's almost unreasonable belief in Fatty, but then noticed that Fatty was slowly turning red. He looked at them, & said "Raylingham Marshes".

The other Find-Outers gasped as they remembered the dangerous marshes where they had rescued the young foreign prince that Rollo had impersonated so many years back.

"What was the name of the kidnapped girl, Fatty?", asked Jo, suddenly, unable to contain herself any longer.

"Berta Lesley something", was Fatty's surprising answer.

"Just wunnerful", said George & Jo together, with identical scowls.

"Let us guess", grinned Daisy, "someone else from your distant past?"

Julian explained how Berta had been sent to live with them for protection, & all their adventures that holidays, trying to tone down George & Jo's hostility towards the American.

All conversation suddenly came to a halt as the theatre doors opened, & all of them looked up at the grim faced vet, whose tunic was covered in blood.

"Miss Kirrin", he started, looking at George, "I'm sorry . . ."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

After his dramatically terrifying opening, the gorgeous young vet went on to apologise to George for keeping her waiting, & assured her that Tim was going to be fine, but was currently sedated, & would remain so until the next day at least. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. George insisted on seeing Tim just to reassure herself. The vet, Ron, agreed, & escorted her in.

She returned a minute later, looking much happier. Ron gave her his personal business card, hastily scribbling down his home number as well in case she "needed anything". All the girls around her grinned, not at the fact that this gorgeous young man was openly flirting with George, but that George was so completely oblivious to it.

Fatty was frowning at how easily this guy was openly flirting with George. He needed to move fast.

"So, are we going to the Marshes, or not?", asked Julian.

"Yes", replied everyone.

They got to the lonely farmhouse in the middle of Raylingham Marshes about an hour later, after very carefully picking their way across the marshlands. All was relatively quiet, except for a crashing sound coming from the black van parked in the driveway.

They split into teams, with each team scouting a different area of the farmhouse, & agreed to meet back in 30 minutes to plan the best way forward.

Each of them returned confident & determined. Since all the lights in the house were switched on, it was very easy to see exactly where everyone, prisoners & criminals, was. Each of the group had already decided on who they were rescuing or attacking.

Fatty had called the Chief-Inspector & updated him. He assured Fatty he would have cars of policemen there within an hour. Fatty informed the others, & they deliberated on whether they should do anything, or should wait for the police. This discussion didn't last long at all, as they all felt they had come all this way to act, so why wait.

They plotted their different ways in, & who's going with whom, to do what exactly, & then started out.

Nobby made a beeline for the van from which the crashing sounds were coming. He had discovered that Pongo was in the van, & the crashing sounds was Pongo banging on the inside of the doors trying to get out. He had obviously awoken, in a temper, & none of the men dared to let him out, so they had just left him in there. Anne went with Nobby to help if she could. She had always been fond of the naughty chimp.

Julian & Dick were going to tackle Tiger Dan & Lou respectively, while Fatty took on Fangio. George insisted on taking on Edgar, of course, while Larry handled Rollo. Jo didn't say anything but planned to be available to back George up if she needed it.

While they swiftly & silently broke in, & used the element of surprise to get in some useful blows, the rest of the group used the distraction to get to the prisoners. Ern, helped by Bets, freed his uncle, while Pip & Daisy freed the American girl, Berta. After ensuring Mr Goon & Berta were all right & not seriously hurt, they all made their way back to the fighting.

Nobby, Pongo & Anne, also arrived, which was a good thing as the 'bad guys' had now gotten over their surprise & were fighting back, harder than they were receiving.

Anne rushed to help Julian who was been choked by Tiger Dan. She landed several hard blows which did help her brother recover a bit.

Pip got in a few kicks to Lou who had Dick on the ground & was kicking him mercilessly.

Before Ern could move to go to Larry, who was trying to wrestle a knife away from Rollo, Daisy got there first. She used her kickboxing training to get control of the knife, & give the advantage back to Larry.

Edgar was trying to give back as good as he was getting from George, but had little success until he managed to get the gun out of its holster. Before he could even point it as George, however, it was kicked out of his hands by Jo, who had been silently watching George, ready to pounce when needed.

Ern spotted that Fatty was getting into difficulty with Fangio, but again before he could do anything, help had already reached Fatty in the form of Bets. Like Daisy, she used her kickboxing training to help Fatty regain the advantage.

Then Pongo suddenly decided it was time for him to do something. He caught Tiger Dan by the throat with one hand, & knocked Lou out with the other. He lifted tiger Dan, by his neck, into the air & then slammed him to the ground, rendering him unconscious.

Pongo then repeated his actions with Edgar & Rollo.

He turned around & lifted Fangio with both hands, out of Fatty's grasp, high into the air, before slamming him down as well.

The fighting was over more suddenly than it began. The boys rushed around, securing the unconscious criminals. They decided to move them into a room & lock them up. The girls, except George, moved into the kitchen to organize something to snack on while they waited for the police, as they were all suddenly hungry. Anne was sympathetically listening to Bertha's account of her kidnapping.

Mr Goon sat quietly on a sofa, not really participating in anything. He knew the police were on their way, & he couldn't wait for them to arrive & take him back to his little house.

George made her way quietly outside. She had sudden tears in her eyes thinking about Tim. She had seriously missed him when fighting Edgar. It wasn't that she needed him to fight her battles, it was just the comfort of knowing that he was there should she need him. But she had also realized that Timmy was getting old now & would not be around forever.

Fatty suddenly appeared in front of her. She lowered her head & tried to blink her tears back. He placed two fingers under her chin, & slowly lifted her head, to meet his kiss.

Someone strategically clearing their throat unexpectedly interrupted them.

They broke apart & stared around wildly, to see Chief-Inspector Jenks trying unsuccessfully to keep a straight face, with several other policemen behind him.

He walked up to them & shook hands with Fatty, announcing that he "was here to round up the criminals Frederick was accosting".

He then turned to George &, with twinkling eyes, asked, "Is it you, Miss?".

George blushed as several policemen stifled sniggers. Fatty introduced George to the Chief-Inspector, & then led them into the house, explaining what had happened.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

A few days later, 8 good looking couples, & 3 dogs, met Chief-Inspector Jenks at a popular coffee shop. The excitement & emotions in working the case together had turned crushes into real couples.

Berta had convinced her parents, who already knew & trusted the Famous Five, that she was quite safe, & had made a special new friend in Pip, so they had allowed her to stay on a bit. They had been on holiday in England when Berta had been kidnapped, so, as they were still in the country, they immediately travelled to Peterswood to confirm that Berta was indeed fine, & they brought her black poodle, Sally, much to the delight of Timmy & Buster, to help protect her.

Nobby & Pongo were a huge hit with the fair people, so he was planning on joining them when they moved on.

"Well, once again a huge Thank You to the Five Find-outers & the Famous Five & friends", boomed the Chief-Inspector heartily. "Thanks to all of you we've captured five dangerous & disturbed criminals."

"We enjoyed it, Sir," answered Julian, politely. "It's been so long since we did this. It was like reverting back to childhood".

"Except that we're not children anymore", said Bets, tartly.

"No, Bets", smiled Pip, "you're definitely not a little girl anymore. You handled yourself very well in the fight."

Her big brother's praise rendered Bets speechless for once, & she closed her mouth only when Dick squeezed her hand.

"And little Anne", said Julian, surveying Anne next to Ern, "you've got a mean punch on you. I think you've proven you can definitely take care of yourself."

"But, being boys, as boyfriends, & especially brothers, I guess, we'd like to still be able to take care of you girls occasionally", added Dick.

"Oh, come on, guys, we don't have it that bad", said Ern, grinning. "At least, not as bad as Fatty…."

There were several grins, snorts & giggles as George glared at Ern.

Fatty hid a grin, & turned to the Chief-Inspector who was also grinning.

"Sir", he began, trying to change the subject before George could explode, "you said you had some other news for us."

"Yes", replied the Chief-Inspector. "I'm not sure if all of you, especially you Frederick, will think it's good or bad news, but Mr Goon has decided to retire."

There were several exclamations around the table, before the Chief-Inspector continued, "he's decided that he's getting a bit too old to be going through adventures like he had recently."

"When's his last day?", enquired Fatty.

"In a week", replied the Chief-Inspector. "He's spending the week handing over to his replacement, & next Friday he'll be leaving to go & stay with his cousin in another part of the country."

"He's leaving Peterswood?," exclaimed Larry. He couldn't imagine Peterswood without Goon.

"Yes", said the Chief-Inspector with a smile. He glanced at Fatty, who seemed deep in thought. "Penny for your thoughts, Frederick?"

Fatty looked up, his eyes shining. "Let's throw him a Farewell party", he announced surprisingly.

There was absolute silence for a few seconds, while everyone stared at him, & then everyone loudly agreed in their own way that this was a good idea.

The Chief-Inspector decided to leave them to plan the party, but promised he'd attend.

The next week, most of the residents of Peterswood arrived to say Farewell to the policeman they all knew & loved to hate.

Mr Goon was honestly overwhelmed by the crowd, the well-organised party, & mostly by the fact that Fatty & company had planned all of this, for him?! But he refrained from snorting when the Chief-Inspector told him, & enjoyed the attention & well-wishes he received, & especially the food, of course.

All went well until it was time for Mr Goon to leave. His car had arrived to pick him up. He went around saying goodbye to the people still there. He shook hands composedly with each of the Famous Five, & each of the Find-Outers, leaving Fatty for last. Fatty solemnly wished him well, wondering if he should shock My Goon with a quick hug, & maybe a tear or too. Mr Goon received & returned Fatty's good wishes, adding that Fatty was actually not such a toad anymore, & then shocked everyone by instructing Fatty as an afterthought to promise to "help my replacement the same way you've always helped me".

Fatty grinned & innocently promised. The new policeman, Mr Brown, who seemed to have the same character & disposition as Goon, completely missed the undertones. The Chief-Inspector, however, groaned audibly.

Just as Mr Goon was going to enter the vehicle, he turned for a final wave, when Buster shot through the crowd to playfully snap at his ankles.

"Clear Orf", he yelled, while dancing on one leg.

Timmy & Sally came to join Buster, & the last image Peterswood had of their previous policeman was Mr Goon tumbling into the car yelling "Clear Orf".

Chuckling, Fatty, Julian, & the rest of the group went back inside to help clean up. Mr Brown & the Chief-Inspector remained behind as well. When the place was relatively clean, & the Chief-Inspector had just driven off after wishing all of them well, everyone clearly heard someone groaning.

Worried that someone was left behind & feeling ill, they searched the place but found nothing. Then the groaning sounded again. It was so realistic & sounded so close, without seeming to come from any one place. The others went to check outside, leaving Fatty alone with Mr Brown.

Suddenly a hoarse voice said, "I want my Auntie".

Mr Brown was pale with shock & obvious fright. The voice sounded again, weak & hoarse, "I want my Auntie please". Then came the sound of something, or someone, being dragged across the floor. This sounded so close, yet nothing could be seen.

Mr Brown clutched at Fatty in fear. "Is this place haunted", he whispered, with his eyes wide.

"I don't know", replied Fatty calmly. "But it seems you have something to investigate now, Mr Brown."

Mr Brown stared at him in panic. He was trained to catch criminals, not ghosts.

The others came back inside, after finding nothing outside, to the comical scene of Mr Brown holding Fatty's arm tightly. Fatty grinned at their obvious bewilderment.

"What happened?", asked George.

Mr Brown, with wide eyes filled with fear, explained in almost a whisper about the weak, hoarse, voice asking for his Auntie, & the sound of someone or something being dragged across the floor.

All of them immediately looked at Fatty who looked like he was about to burst. He extricated himself firmly from Mr Brown. "We should go now, & leave Mr Brown to investigate this mystery", he stated looking at the others, with his eyes sparkling.

"You're leaving me alone here", said Mr Brown, trying to clutch at Fatty again, who had started walking away.

"Well, maybe you can call for backup", said Fatty, innocently.

Mr Brown brightened immediately. Fatty motioned to the others to leave while Mr Brown was dialing on his cellphone. As they left, they heard him trying to explain the situation over the phone.

Once outside, Fatty burst out laughing. "I knew that sounded suspicious", said George. "What have you done Fatty?"

"Remember how I can throw my voice", gasped Fatty, in between laughter.

In the stunned silence where they all remembered Fatty ventriloquism, Mr Brown's indignant voice was heard clearly from inside "I don't know why he wants his Auntie!".

They all burst out laughing. It seemed Mr Brown was going to be an ideal replacement for Mr Goon.

**A/N: I didn't want to include an author's note until this was complete, which is why I didn't respond to any of the reviews. But, a huge THANK YOU to all who have read & enjoyed, & of course, especially to those who made the time & effort to review. This was my first fanfiction, & the reviews & comments made it a real pleasure to keep writing. Apologies for making you wait so long for the end. I hope it was satisfactory. **

**In case it wasn't clear, the couples were as follows:**

**Fatty & George**

**Larry & Jo**

**Julian & Daisy**

**Dick & Bets**

**Ern & Anne**

**Pip & Berta**

**Thanks again.**


End file.
